We are heading for a HOT day today in Fresno! And, at the moment I’m hiding indoors until I go to work at my part time job…time and half…yes, please!

This morning I made some things to contribute to the 4th of July/My mom’s Birthday party Party at my aunt’s house this afternoon.

First, I made a ‘raw’ tart using 2 cups of raw almonds and 20 dates (finely chopped) for the crust and a cashew cream using soaked raw cashews, dates, some water and vanilla, pureed until smooth. I topped the tart with blueberries and slices of strawberries…red, white and blue!

And, I also made a couscous and quinoa tabbouleh salad, very similar to the salads I’ve made in the past. I’ve used this recipe as the base for several of the salads I’ve made before. What I like to do is add quinoa and mix it up using either bulgur wheat or couscous. No matter what you use or not use, it’s a great recipe to adapt and can be used as a base to create your own original salad.

My adaptions to the original recipe for today’s salad include:

Doubling the batch

Using 1 cup couscous instead of bulgur (place in a bowl and top with 1 3/4 cups boiling water, cover and let water absorb couscous)

Using 1 cup of quinoa (rinse well, boil with 2 cups of water until all water is absorbed)

Using parsley AND cilantro

Couscous and Quinoa Salad with Cranberries

What are you preparing for 4th of July? Or, what do you like to bring to parties?